Garment



Feb.15,1938. ,ABELE 2,108,094-

GARMENT Filed May 6, 1935 Ira/aw" rome abeLes.

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE GARMENT Jerome Abeles, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Formfit Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 6, 1935, SeriaLNo. 19,944

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in gar- .ments, and more especially to girdles for female wear, the primary object of the invention being the provision of an improved construction of this character especially reinforced against dam age in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter. The invention consists -in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged partial front view showing the front opening of the garment opened to disclose the underlying parts; and

Fig. 3, an enlarged section taken substantially on line 3-3 or Fig. 1.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing comprises an elastic girdle. body Ill adapted to encompass the torso of the wearer and preferably made of any usual or desired elastic material. The garment body I0 is provided at its front with an opening extending downwardiy from the front edge to the position just .below the middle thereof as shown.

This opening is provided with a slide fastening i2 of well known construction and operation for closing the same with the edges of the opening abutting each other in the same plane.

Such a garment of elastic material is made considerably smaller than the torso of the wearer so that material elastic compression will be exerted thereon. This being so, the garment can be put on only by some little effort and stretching, during which manipulation heavy tearing strains will be placed upon the juncture at the lower end of the front opening. In order to relieve these strains and at the same-time permit of the full opening of the garment to. facilitate putting the same on the torso of the wearer, 1 provide a flap l3 permanently secured to the inside of the garment along one side of the opening I! and across the bottom thereof, to extend as shown across the opening and underlie the opposite side there of. The flap I3 is provided with aneye it an the superposed side of the garment is provided with a. hook I! to detachably engage the eye and temporarily and partially holdthe opening closed while the side fastening I2 is :being adjusted.

portion of said tension The nonelasticreinforcing strap I5 is folded upon itself as shown and has its ends stoutly secured to the flap l3 and to the superposed side of the garment ill at points slightly above the lower termination of the garment opening, the inter- 5 mediate or central portion I1 ofsaid strap being left free as indicated.

- By this arrangement, and more especially owing to the fact that the reinforcing strap i6 is secured to the flap l3 and to the overlying side of the garment, the opening H in the garment may. be extended to the fullest extent and at the same time the tearing strains due torthe adjust- 1 ment of the garment to the body will be borne by the strap l6 instead of by the juncture at the lower end of the opening Ii. .In this way an elastic gar'ment can be provided requiring considerable stretching for adjustment to the torso of the wearer, permitting full .extension of the opening of the garment and preventing all tearing strains on the juncture at the end of the entry opening. The specific form and arrangement of parts is a simple and effective one for the purpose.

While I have illustrated and described thepreferred form of construction for carrying the in- 2 vention into efiect. this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details disclosed, but desire to .avail myselfof such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

A garment of the class des'cribedcomprising a body encircling portion having an opening, a slide fastener for closing the opening comprising cooperating rows of fastener members secured to opposite sides of the opening, means including a tension strap for connecting opposite sides of the opening adjacent the bottom end of the fastener to prevent tearingstresses on the end of the fastener when the fastener is fully opened. one strap being stitched to the material on one side of the openin said portion extending lengthwise alongside the row of fastener members and parallel thereto, and means for connecting said strapto the opposite side opening so that tearing stresses may be transmitted from said opposite side to said attached portion of said strap.

mom: Alarms. 

